Huskers Return to Action in Arkansas

Nebraska Cornhuskers (40-16)
@ Mid-Winter Invitational

Friday-Sunday, January 15-17, 11:20 a.m., 9:40 a.m., 8:30 a.m. – Jonesboro Bowling Center (Jonesboro, Ark.)

Huskers Return to Action in Arkansas

Lincoln - After over a month off, the second-ranked Nebraska bowling team returns to the lanes this weekend for the Mid-Winter Invitational. The tournament is hosted by No. 1 Arkansas State, and will take place at the Jonesboro Bowling Center in Jonesboro, Ark.

The Cornhuskers (40-16) come into the invitational having won three tournaments in a row, capped by a TRACK Kat Klash victory in early December. NU finished third at the Mid-Winter Invitational a year ago, and has finished in the top five in every year in which they have competed going back to 2007. NU won the tournament in 2013.

Fourteen teams will compete this weekend, including ten teams ranked in the Dec. 17 NTCA Coaches Poll. The top five teams in the country will all bowl this weekend, including the Huskers, Arkansas State, No. 3 Vanderbilt and the two teams tied for fourth, Central Missouri and Sam Houston State. Other ranked teams include No. 7 Wisconsin-Whitewater, No. 8 Stephen F. Austin, No. 9 McKendree, No. 10 Maryland-Eastern Shore and No. 15 Valparaiso. In all, nine of the top 10 teams in the country will compete this weekend. Two more teams competing, Alabama State and Jackson State, are receiving votes in the poll.

The Huskers won their third tournament in a row their last time out, at the TRACK Kat Klash the weekend of Dec. 4-6 in Houston, Texas. NU defeated hosts Sam Houston State, 4-3, in the championship match. The Big Red went 11-3 on the weekend and defeated seven ranked teams along the way.

Julia Bond, Gazmine Mason and Melanie Crawford each earned spots on the all-tournament team at the TRACK Kat Klash, as Bond finished third in the individual standings with a 214.4 average and Mason placed fifth with a 208.6 average. Crawford joined them in the top 10 with a 204 average, good for ninth overall.

The weekend’s action begins Friday with each team playing five five-game Baker format matches, beginning at 11:20 a.m., followed by five traditional team matches Saturday at 9:40 a.m. The standings after Saturday’s competition will determine the seeding for Sunday’s bracket-play tournament to determine a champion, consisting of three best-of-seven Baker format matches, with play set to begin at 8:30 a.m.

Mid-Winter Invitational - Teams Competing
1. Nebraska
2. Arkansas State
3. Alabama State
4. Central Missouri
5. Jackson State
6. Lincoln (Mo.)
7. Louisiana Tech
8. Maryland-Eastern Shore
9. Sam Houston State
10. Stephen F. Austin
11. McKendree
12. Valparaiso
13. Vanderbilt
14. Wisconsin-Whitewater

The Opening Frame

Looking Ahead
The Huskers will take a week off and return to action Jan. 29-31 at the Prairie View A&M Invitational in Arlington, Texas. The Huskers won the tournament each of the last three years and have finished in the top four every year since 2012. The tournament is hosted by No. 21 Prairie View A&M

New Rankings
The NTCA released a new set of rankings on Dec. 17, with Arkansas State remaining in the top spot in the nation. Nebraska moved up two spots to No. 2. Vanderbilt remained at No. 3, while Sam Houston State and Central Missouri tied for fourth in the latest rankings. Central Missouri moved up five spots, while Sam Houston State held steady. Nebraska has not been ranked lower than fourth this season.

Team USA
Two current members of the Nebraska bowling team and two Husker alumni were named members of Team USA 2016 at the 2016 United States Bowling Congress Team USA Trials held Jan. 3-7. Junior Gazmine Mason and sophomore Julia Bond were selected to Junior Team USA 2016. Mason earned a spot based on her performance at the trials after she finished 19th overall among 109 competitors and seventh among competitors in her age group. Bond had already earned a spot on Junior Team USA 2016 based on her performance at the 2015 Junior Gold Championships. Bond finished 24th overall and 10th among competitors in her age group. Shannon Pluhowsky, a Husker from 2001-2005, finished fifth overall and was named to the team based on her performance at the trials. Kayla Johnson, a Husker from 2009-2012, earned a spot from the National Selection Committee based on a submitted resume.

Making History
Nebraska finished with a weekend pinfall of 14,494 at the Big Red Invitational Nov. 12-14, second-most in program history. The Huskers’ highest single-tournament pinfall occurred nearly eight years before on Nov. 16-18, 2007, when they scored a 14,968 pinfall at the Maverick Challenge.

Last Time Out: Huskers Win TRACK Kat Klash
The fourth-ranked Nebraska bowling team won its second consecutive TRACK Kat Klash, defeating hosts Sam Houston State, 4-3, in the championship match Sunday, Dec. 6, at Emerald Lanes in Houston, Texas.

The Cornhuskers (40-16) started slow, falling to Sam Houston State, 4-0, in the opening round of Sunday’s best-of-seven Baker format championship tournament, but rebounded with a sweep over No. 9 Central Missouri to set up a rematch with the hosts in the championship match. NU ran its record to 4-1 against the Jennies on the season.

The Bearkats, who had not lost a game Sunday prior to the championship match, continued to play well early, winning game one by a score of 172-161. The Huskers bounced back, winning games two and three by a combined 63 pins. NU dropped game four, but won game five by a score of 214-197 setting up a chance for the Huskers to win the tournament. Sam Houston State battled back, winning game six to force a deciding game seven. The Huskers prevailed in the deciding game, 215-198, to earn their third straight tournament victory this season.

The win was the Huskers third over the Bearkats this season. NU went 11-3 on the weekend and defeated seven ranked teams along the way.

Central Missouri defeated No. 14 LIU-Brooklyn to take third place.

The Huskers have now finished in the top five at the TRACK Kat Klash in each of the past five years, including winning the tournament the past two seasons.

Julia Bond, Gazmine Mason and Melanie Crawford earned spots on the all-tournament team, as Bond finished third in the individual standings with a 214.4 average and Mason placed fifth with a 208.6 average. Crawford joined them in the top 10 with a 204 average, good for ninth overall.

“(Bond, Mason and Crawford) did an admirable job the whole time,” Nebraska head coach Bill Straub said. “As it was, it came right down to the last game for us to pull it out. This was no easy tussle by a longshot. We just got lucky at the right time.”